


Couple's Costume

by southsidewrites



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Cute, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Funny, Halloween, Love, One Shot, Reader-Insert, Romance, boyfriend sweet pea, serpent friendship, southside serpents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 14:18:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16477169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/southsidewrites/pseuds/southsidewrites
Summary: It's Halloween in Riverdale, and you've come up with the perfect group costume idea for the Serpents.  Unfortunately, your boyfriend Sweet Pea's not on the same page, and he wants nothing to do with any group costumes.





	Couple's Costume

Of all holidays, Halloween was your favorite. You loved coming up with the perfect costume and putting it together yourself.  Every year you came up with something new, and you always killed it at Reggie Mantle’s annual Halloween party.  This year was going to be no exception. If anything, it would be better than ever since you had finally found a solid group of friends who were willing to humor your passion and participate in an awesome group costume.  The only holdout was the person you had been counting on more than anyone—your boyfriend, Sweet Pea.

“Please, please, please, babe, just do it for me,” you begged, clutching Sweet Pea’s hand and giving him your sweetest puppy-dog face. “Even Jughead said yes.”

“Dear Lord, man, where’s your spine?” Sweet Pea demanded, shaking you off his arm and giving his friend a pointed look. “What’d they do?  Hold Betty hostage?  Threaten your dog?  Steal your typewriter?”

Jughead rolled his eyes, barely looking up from his computer screen where he was working on a new article for the Blue and Gold. “No, Sweet Pea, they did not.  Betty’s being the Powderpuff Girls with Veronica and Cheryl, so she didn’t want to do a couple costume this year.”

Sweet Pea was incredulous. “You say that like you did.”

Jughead just shrugged. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind. It’s Halloween, Sweet Pea, it’s supposed to be fun, and Y/N’s idea is actually really good.”

You smiled softly, glad that at least Jughead had your back.

Instead of replying, Sweet Pea just groaned loudly, crashing into the couch next to you with a dramatic sigh.  Instinctively, he wrapped his arm around your shoulders, holding you close to him. “And Fangs?  Et tu, Fangs, et tu?  I thought you were better than this.”  

“Wow, look who paid attention in English,” Toni said with a smirk. “That literary reference was spot-on.”

“Stop derailing, Topaz,” Sweet Pea snapped. “I’m talking to Fangs, my boy, my man, my bro.  Why on earth would you go along with this nonsense?  I mean, Y/N’s gorgeous as hell, yeah, but she’s taken, so a costume isn’t going to earn you any points.”

Fangs just shook his head, not bothering to justify most of Sweet Pea’s nonsense. “You do remember I’m in drama club, right?  I happen to like dressing up for Halloween, and I would have whether or not Y/N came up with an idea.”

“Even in dumb group costumes?”

“Dumb?” You asked, not even having to fake an offended tone as you scooted a few inches away from him. “I know you don’t want to participate, but I still thought it was pretty clever.”

“Yes, of course, babe.  It is clever,” he assured half-heartedly, pulling you back to him to kiss you on the temple. “Making me dress up is still not going to happen, though.”

“Sweet Pea, it’s barely even a costume for you,” Toni argued, growing sicker of the conversation by the minute. “You literally are a criminal.”

“I resent that,” he snapped. “I haven’t done anything illegal in weeks.”

You gave him a confused look, tipping your head to the side and furrowing your eyebrows. “What about all that pot you smoked at the football game last week?  I could smell it from the field during halftime.”

“New York’s going to legalize any day now,” he scoffed, brushing off the comment with a shake of his head. “Anyways, that doesn’t really count.”

Shaking your head, you took and deep breath and returned to begging.  You cuddled in even closer to him, putting your hand on the back of his neck and playing with his hair in a way you knew drove him mad. “C’mon, babe.  It’s a five-person costume, and we need a fifth person.  Do it for me.”

He was utterly unfazed.  “Why not ask Joaquin or something?”

“Why would I ask Joaquin when I have a perfectly good boyfriend right here?” you asked, crossing your arms. “Anyways, do you really want him being in a sort-of couples costume with me?”

“I can’t say I’d care, even if he wasn’t gay.” He smiled and kissed you lightly on the cheek. “I happen to be very confident in our relationship.  Confident enough to turn down your ludicrous offer to be a part of a group costume for Halloween.”

You groaned loudly, tipping your head back on the couch with annoyance. “Sweet Pea, I’m going to kill you.”

“Does that mean I wouldn’t have to dress up?”

You let out a low sigh, untucking your legs from underneath you and scooting out of his arm.  “That’s it.  I’m done. You’ve beat me, and I’m not going to argue with you anymore.” You slid off the couch and slipped on your shoes. “You know what would make me happy here, Pea, and you know it’s not that hard. Show up or don’t tomorrow.  I don’t care.” With a sharp sigh, you grabbed your coat and started for the door. “See you guys tomorrow.”

“Babe, I—”

The door was shut before he had a chance to finish the sentence.

“Smooth, Sweet Pea,” Jughead said, finally looking up from his computer screen and trying not to smile.

“Can it, Jones,” he grumbled, crossing his arms to hide his clenching fists.

“Really, man,” Fangs added. “Is it that hard to put on a costume?  An easy one, at that.  Her first idea was the Scooby Doo gang, but I vetoed that because one of us would have to be Scooby, and even I thought that was too much.”

Sweet Pea gave his friend a skeptical look. “So  _that_  you had the common sense to veto?”

“Man, Y/N’s right,” Toni sighed. “Trying to reason with you is exhausting.  I don’t know why she even tries.”

Sweet Pea had to admit to himself that that one hurt a little—he didn’t think not wanting to put on a costume was that unreasonable. “I just don’t see why she cares so much.  It’s just Halloween.”

“Why do  _you_  care so much?” Toni countered.

“Because I—” he paused, recognizing that the real reason, that he thought it was lame and a waste of time, would not go over well in the present company. “I don’t know, okay.”

“Well,” Toni continued. “You may want to figure it out because Y/N’s going to be pissed if you don’t show up tomorrow.” She grabbed her bag and started walking toward the door of the trailer. “And that means in the costume.  Show up without it, and you may as well start digging your own grave.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he drawled. “Whatever you say, Toni.”

She rolled her eyes as the door shut behind her.

Fangs gave his friend an inquisitive look. Sweet Pea had always been stupidly stubborn, but it was unlike him to deny Y/N any request, no matter how much he didn’t want to do something. “So, what are you going to do?”

“I don’t know, man.”

“Yeah, you do.”

“Yeah, I do.”

* * *

After an hour at the party, you still couldn’t get over the Sweet Pea-sized absence in your group.  The costume was still cool, sure, but it was just kind of sad only having four of the five. Luckily, there was enough free alcohol that you could attempt to drink away how mad you were at your boyfriend.

“He might still show up,” Betty offered, her pigtails bouncing as she bobbed her head to the music. “It’s only 10:00.”

“Says the girl with the coolest group costume here,” you grumbled. “You guys look awesome.”

“You look awesome too, Y/N,” Betty said, giving your costume an appraising look. “Even without Sweet Pea, you guys did great.”

Even her flattery couldn’t improve your mood.  You took another sip of the horrible orange punch Reggie had concocted and attempted to smile. “Thanks, Bets, really.”

“Anytime.” She gave you a brief side-hug before heading back out onto the dance floor to join Toni and Cheryl.

You looked down at your cup with a sigh and lifted it to your lips to finish off the sicky sweet drink.  Just as the cup touched your lips, though, the music shut off. Everyone jerked to a stop, and a few people let out shouts of annoyance.  Then, the music started again, and you couldn’t help but smile slightly.

_“Hey, hey, hey, hey,_

_Ooooh, woah.”_

You turned to look across the room at Moose who had been on music duty all night.  He smiled back, nodding toward the massive sliding glass door in the back of the room.  What you saw there made your jaw drop.

Sweet Pea: dressed as John Bender and fist-pumping to the beat of the music.

With a devilish grin, he walked into the house, singing along to the chorus.

 _“_ _Don’t you, forget about me,_ __  
Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t,  
Don’t you, forget about me.”

“Sweet Pea!” You pulled him into a hug. “You came, and you wore the costume!”

“Of course I did, babe,” he replied, grabbing your waist and pulling you close.  He looked down at your pink v-neck and long brown skirt with an amused smile. “What kind of boyfriend would I be to say no to my princess?”

You couldn’t contain your grin as you kissed him. “Sweet Pea, you’re the best boyfriend ever.”

“Oh, come on now, we both know that’s not true.”

“Just let me believe it for tonight.”

“Deal.” He bent down to press his lips into yours again.  The kiss was slow, soft—the kind of kiss that meant Sweet Pea didn’t know how to put what he was feeling into words.  Then, he pulled back, biting his lip in an attempt to hold back a smile. “Happy Halloween, princess.”

“Happy Halloween, Sweet Pea.”

“Told you he’d show,” Fangs said, walking over with a spare beer in his hand for Sweet Pea. “Guy’s way too whipped not to.”

Toni laughed and slipped her camera off her neck. “He’s not whipped, Fangs.” She smiled softly. “He just loves his girlfriend.”

“Can’t argue with that,” Sweet Pea replied, taking the beer and wrapping his free arm around his waist. “Now, take the damn picture so I can get out of this getup.”

“Sweet Pea!” you chided. “You better not.”

“Kidding, babe,” he laughed.

Toni handed Cheryl her camera, and the five of you lined up, arms around each other.  Everyone was laughing and smiling, and Sweet Pea bent down to kiss your cheek just as the camera flashed.  It really was the best Halloween ever.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! If you liked this, check out my other Sweet Pea x Reader works and find me on tumblr @southsidewrites.


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